Reflections from Habakkuk: In the absence of figs, grapes and olives.

      

This morning at the Chapel, Dr Kathleen Rochchester shared from the book of Habakkuk, in dealing with the questions of ‘Whys?’ in our life. She started off by saying that the ‘Why’ question is a very juvenile type of a question usually found among children who tend to ask ‘but why?’ on almost anything that exist.

Habakkuk, ‘ 1: 1… How long O Lord, why …..’ Sometimes in life, when we see so much injustice, and the wicked living in ease and comfort, and God seems silent we tend to question God’ and it’s ok to question Him, for he will give us an answer. It is like a cry a lament…

 Next the point which she highlighted out beautifully was from Chapter 2, about ‘waiting on God, for the vision to come to pass’ and from V 4, ‘ the righteous live by faith.’ She reminded us that, God has a plan and a purpose for each one of us, and that sometimes in life, we do not see the whole picture, or we fail to see God’s hand in our lives. Yet, it is good to wait on the Lord.

The Hebrew verb, ‘remember’ was also highlighted by the speaker, who said that this word, ‘remember’ is in a continuous tense, as well as active, in Hebrew usage. And she used this to tell us that, ‘Habakkuk’ choose to ‘remember’ who this God is, in the midst of what he was going through with injustice and evil all around him- that this is the same God who split the waters open, (Hab 3: 9)the same God who made the stars and Sun standstill,( 3: 11) and this same God was still with him.

She also said that, to live by faith is a two way concept: a word- play in the Hebrew, where we hold on to God by faith, and in his faithfulness, but at the same time, He also holds on to us, because He is faithful. And sometimes in life, even when the thread which are holding on may seem to small and tiny, it is still there, because God is faithful.

Habakkuk makes his lament before God, about the injustice and evil around him, and yet he is reminded by God that, God sees all things- he will bring shame on the proud and the haughty who live in unrighteous behaviour, the goody two shoes will be bought down, the ones who scheme and plan evil will be exposed, therefore do not let these things bother you, but you Habakkuk live by faith in God.

And finally, Habakkuk realises this,  and makes this famous statement,

Hab 3:16-18 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord,I will be joyful in God my Savior.

 By the end of his lament, Habakkuk is satisfied and understands that God is sovereign and anything He says does come to pass. It is not so much on how strong  or weak our faith is, it is because God is a faithful God. Shalom. Nothing broken, nothing missing